Meditating Under The Bodhi Tree
The next morning I slept through the 6am puja held at my monastery’s temple. I deserved the extra rest. I also deserved to sit under the Bodhi Tree, alone, for …
The next morning I slept through the 6am puja held at my monastery’s temple. I deserved the extra rest. I also deserved to sit under the Bodhi Tree, alone, for …
I took an hour to unwind, shower, and get my bearings before heading out to sightsee. Due to the intense sun during much of the day, I knew I had …
34 hours….1 taxi….1 share jeep….1 overnight train….1 bus ride….3 autorickshaws….1 bicycle rickshaw…. I awoke around 6am to ensure I was on one of the first share jeeps south to Siliguri. …
The day after our jeep tour of the north, Cameron and Natalie set about organizing a six day trek to a 5,000 meter pass with close views of Mt. …
I couldn’t sleep well the second night, so at 4:45am I got out of bed to check for mountain peaks like a kid checks for presents on Christmas morning. My …
The next morning, we could see patches of snow on some of the mountains around us, however the cloud cover was low enough to temper my excitement about the potential …
There was a delay in getting the necessary permits for the jeep tour north so we ended up leaving an hour late.Then, a little ways outside of Gangtok, we stopped …
The jeep ride to Tsomgo Lake took a little less than two hours thanks to our fast driver who thought nothing of overtaking other jeeps along the precipitous mountain …
After breakfast, Natalie and I stepped outside of our hotel’s restaurant to a procession of monks and lay people descending Tibet Road in celebration of Buddha’s birthday. We made our …
Sarah is traveling around the world as I am, and her time in Asia was wrapping up in Darjeeling while I was ready to bust up to Sikkim for closer …
Tiger Hill is a thirty minute jeep ride south of Darjeeling, at a higher altitude of about 2,600 meters. It is a popular place to watch the sun rise over …
The day after visiting the zoo I set my sights on a joyride on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. I was up at 5:30am, out of bed by 7am, queued for …
Good news…I’m alive and well in the sweltering heat of India. :) Since leaving Darjeeling, and a great little internet cafe with lightning fast broadband, I’ve been left adrift from …
At 8,586 meters, Mt. Kanchenjunga is the world’s third highest mountain, and only 10-20 meters behind K2 in Pakistan for second place. Spending additional time in the shadow of the …
I spent my first full day walking around Darjeeling. Thankfully, the city center turned out to be smaller than I expected, however you’re often either walking up or downhill given …
Fully loaded, my share jeep held 12 people and 1 baby. I occupied a seat in the far back, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it …
As much as I enjoyed playing chicken with oncoming traffic in Kathmandu’s little white taxis, I was happy to have a seat on Yeti Airline’s 11:40am flight to a small …
Nepal had always represented world-class trekking for me, yet I found the country to offer so much more. Beyond the beautiful snow-capped mountains, green valleys, peaceful lakes, raging rivers, colorful …
A marching band accompanies a wedding procession around Boudhnath Stupa one afternoon. Butter lamps. A Tibetan woman spins prayer wheels. A rooftop view of the stupa…well worth the extra …
The second morning I awoke in Boudha, I satisfied my curiosity about the ringing bells at 5:30am. I put on some warm clothes and stepped outside of the guest house …